Windows Server

Well, here we go again. During yesterday's post-earnings conference call, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated that the firm was preparing to streamline Windows from three separate operating systems into a "single converged operating system for screens of all sizes," touching off another round of confusion. But there's no reason to be confused: This isn't news, and it isn't even new. And it most certainly doesn't actually mean that there will only be "one" version of Windows 9 (or whatever) that runs on PC, tablets, phones, TVs, embedded devices, and so on....More

When you think about all the rumors about Windows Phone 8.1, the "Threshold" wave of products, and the expected changes we'll be seeing in Windows next year, the just-announced date for the developer focused BUILD 2014 conference becomes all the more exciting: It's happening in April 2014, earlier in the year than ever before. And that's great news....More

With Steve Ballmer abruptly and unexpectedly announcing that he will leave his CEO position at Microsoft within the next 12 months, analysts closeted and otherwise are coming out of the woodwork to try and explain this turn of events, and Ballmer's tenure leading the firm. But looking at Ballmer's 14-year reign, it's not hard to draw a single, obvious conclusion....More

Coincident with the start of Tech Ed Europe, Microsoft on Tuesday made preview versions of Windows Server 2012 R2, System Center 2012 R2 and SQL Server 2014 available for download. These solutions will ship in final form in late 2013 or early 2014 and are part of Microsoft’s “Blue” wave of product updates that also includes Windows 8.1 for Windows 8 and RT....More

Looking again at some forward-leaning TechEd 2013 content, this week I'll examine Microsoft's vision for the "replaceable PC." On the face of things, the technologies that enable this movement are already in place and some have even been around for years. But like a good soup, it's the combination of ingredients that makes something special out of the ordinary. And for many businesses today, the notion of a replaceable PC is still more of a goal than a reality....More

Microsoft this week issued its second Update Rollup for Windows Server 2012 Essentials. Like the previous Update Rollup, UR2 is a collection of previously-released updates for Microsoft’s small business offering....More

Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2 is one coming release you may not have heard much about this week during TechEd. Arriving as part of the coming wave of what I call “Cloud OS v.Next” products and services, Windows Server 2012 Essentials R2 expands today’s product to cloud in very interesting ways....More

For the naysayers writing the obituaries for the PC industry and for Microsoft over the past several weeks, the firm’s surprisingly strong quarterly results—including record revenues of $20.49 billion—must have come as a shock. But this isn’t the first time Microsoft has confounded its critics, who routinely overlook the company’s successful transition to the cloud....More

Fresh off the BUILD conference, I joined Windows Server Lead Architect Jeffrey Snover and Computerworld's Jon Hassell for an impromptu conversation about Microsoft’s Cloud OS offerings. In this video, we discuss the latest enhancements made to the server and datacenter family as well as how these changes will impact IT pros....More

While Windows Server 2012 Essentials provides excellent connectivity to your content and other server resources from within the local network, many users will be disconnected from that network much of the time too. How can you access your home office or small business network from the road?...More

What I Use

Like many, I was hoping to see a new Lumia flagship before the end of 2014, and while I was pleasantly surprised in some ways by both the Lumia 735 and 830, neither offers the level of performance or best-in-market camera quality I had come to expected from Microsoft/Nokia's high-end devices. So I pulled the trigger on an unlocked Windows Phone flagship that will hopefully take me through at least the first half of this year. Or until Microsoft gets off its low-end fixation and satisfies the needs of its biggest fans....More

It's been a while since the last What I Use, but there haven't been many major changes since late last year: Surface Pro 3 has become my go-to travel companion, I've added a third cellphone line for testing Windows Phone, Android and iPhone side-by-side, and have rotated through some new tablets and other devices. We've also switched from FIOS to Comcast and added to our set-top box collection....More